


You're my Whole World

by Purple_ducky00



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake Character Death, M/M, MCD but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/pseuds/Purple_ducky00
Summary: Bucky returns home from a mission to find that his husband has died.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, StarkBucksBingo2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: You’re my Whole World – Chapter 1  
> Creator: Ducky  
> Rating: Mature  
> Warnings: Fake Major Character Death  
> Squares Filled: O2 – Newspaper Clippings – Starkbucks  
> C5 – In Memoriam – Bucky Barnes  
> Summary: Bucky returns home from his mission to find that his husband has died.  
> Word Count: 821 words  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371156/chapters/69513909

Bucky just got off a mission. He was deep down and out of touch for a good six months. He gets home to find the house empty and the lights off. Everything was in the place it was when he left. All except for a piece of paper attached to the table by a knife and a flash drive. That knife is not one of his.

Slowly folding into Winter Soldier mode, Bucky pulls the knife from the table. Underneath is a newspaper clipping headlined _Stark dead at 40._ Beneath is a picture of his husband’s favorite Audi burning and in pieces.

He picks up the flash drive and eyes it. Why does he have a feeling that HYDRA is behind this? Shoving the drive into his pocket, he walks back out of the house. _Tony is dead? Why didn’t they contact me? He’s my husband!_ Bucky wants to cry, but his mind is trying to wrap itself around the fact that… Tony is dead.

Mrs. Able, the next door neighbor, runs out when she sees him. “I was wondering when they would send you home. I am so sorry for your loss.” She takes his hands in hers. The dear old lady doesn’t even flinch at his prosthetic.

“Thank you.” He replies woodenly, unsure of how to respond. He needs someone right now. He needs Tony, but if Tony’s not here, maybe Sam can listen. Bucky faintly hears Mrs. Able talking but the static in his ears is drowning her out. “Thank you, Mrs. Able. I’m sorry but I have to go.” He leaves go of her hands and pulls out his phone to call Sam.

The phone rings once and Sam answers with a “You're finally back. It’s fucked up that they didn’t tell you.”

“Sam…” Bucky wants to say more but his mouth feels full of cotton. “Sam!” He sobs. Racing back to his car, he locks the door before he loses it.

“Hey! Where are you, buddy? I’ll be there in three minutes! Just tell me where you are!” Sam yells.

“My car. Oh, Sam, I….” Bucky gasps. Not even the extensive “training” he had gotten from HYDRA didn’t hurt as much he does now.

Sam is true to his word, arriving in less than three minutes. Bucky unlocks the car to let him in, then falls into his arms. “I can’t believe it Sam. I _can’t._ What am I going to do if he’s dead?”

“Move on. Live on. That’s what he’d want you to do.”

“Well he also wanted to adopt a kid with me. We can’t do that know because he….” Bucky can’t finish the sentence.

Sighing, Sam hugs him tighter. “It’s going to suck for a long time, Bucky. But you’ve got me. You’ve got Natasha and Steve. Rhodey’s here, too. He’s going through a rough patch. But in time, it’ll get better.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“Not really, and I don’t want to tell you something wrong. Rhodey is the only one who would know.” Sam frowns.

“I can’t live there, Sam. I can’t.” Bucky sobs against his friend’s shoulder.

Sam pats his shoulder. “It’s ok. Come on, let’s get your clothes, and we’ll get you an apartment near us.”

Nodding and wiping his nose on his sleeve, Bucky follows Sam out of the car and into the house. Refusing to look at anything but his bureau and closet, he pulls most of his clothes out and throws them in a suitcase. He always had way less clothes than To-… No, he can’t think about it. On impulse, he grabs a few of Tony’s shirts and Tony’s pillow. There’s no way he can leave with _nothing._ “Shit, Sam. I have to get the bots. I can’t leave them here.”

“Listen, we have my pickup and your car if you’re up for driving. We can take anything you want. Just tell me what to take out.”

“Just… this stuff for now. I’ll go down and get the bots. I… I might be a little bit though.” Bucky is relieved when Sam just nods and picks up Bucky’s stuff. Sam knows that he just needs a little time. Running down the stairs to the basement, he finds the bots squealing and running over to him. Realizing this is probably the first human interaction they have had in a good few months, he bursts into tears again. DUME, BUTTERFINGERS, and U all beep worriedly at him.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t here to save him. I’m sorry!” He keeps repeating. DUME scratches his head with his claw while U does the same to his back. It takes a few minutes, but Bucky is able to calm down. It’s amazing how almost human these faceless bots are. He corrals them onto the elevator and takes them out to Sam’s pickup.

“You good?” Sam asks.

Bucky nods. “No, but I’m doing my best. Can we go?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky tries to live with his “new normal” when he learns some interesting news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title: You’re my Whole World – Chapter 2  
> Creator: Ducky  
> Rating: Mature  
> Warnings: Fake Major Character Death  
> Squares Filled: K3 – Collateral Damage – Bucky Barnes  
> Summary: Bucky tries to live with his “new normal” when he learns some interesting news  
> Word Count: 895 words  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28371156/chapters/69514053

Bucky moves into a two-room apartment on the same street as Sam and Steve. He stays at home or goes to Sam’s. He will not set foot in any place that might remind him of Tony. It’s hard because Tony was larger than life. He was _everywhere_. Every day is just another day without the love of his life. Another day in which he has to suffer. It’s cliché, he knows, to say that he can’t live without Tony, but it’s true. Tony was his life, his reason for living, his redemption story. He hangs onto the smell of Tony on his t-shirts and pillow, but it’s all too soon before the smell goes away.

It’s a good two months before he asks Rhodey to come for a visit. He knows Rhodey had been wanting to visit him, but Rhodey was a huge reminder of the whole in Bucky’s life. He feels bad because Rhodey lost a large chunk of his life, too, but he had more time to mourn.

Rhodey walks in and gives Bucky a tight hug. “These your new living quarters?” He asks. When Bucky nods, Rhodey nods too. “Hey, I don’t blame you.”

“Yea.” Bucky shrugs. “I know it’s going to break me, but I need to know. What happened the night of…”

“Well Tony got wind that HYDRA was looking for you again.” Rhodey begins. “So, he started drawing their attention. He ‘allegedly’ didn’t know where you were stationed, but he wanted to make sure they didn’t find you. It worked well for you, but not for him. He agitated them so much that they came after him.”

Smacking his forehead, Bucky cries. “Why would he do that? I can protect myself!”

“Because he loves you, and he had good reason to believe you weren’t safe.” Rhodey confides.

That sounds suspicious. “What do you mean by that?” Bucky asks slowly.

“He has – had reason to believe that HYDRA has infiltrated SHIELD. They put you on that mission to keep you out of commission for months on end because you would question anything that sounds fishy. Of course, when HYDRA found out that Tony knew, they put a hit out on him.”

“And how do you know this?” Bucky demands. “Did he tell you all of this? Was our house bugged? Is that why they killed him?”

Rhodey stares at him thoughtfully, and Bucky feels uncomfortable. “What.”

“All this time I’ve been here, what has been the biggest difference between you and me?” Rhodey finally asks.

“I’ve been a friggin mess and you have not. What gives? Are you HYDRA?” Bucky reaches for his gun.

Rhodey gives a cry of indignation. “No! And I’m quite offended that you’d think that! What the fuck would I have to do with a Nazi organization? The reason I’m not broken up inside is that I just talked to Tony yesterday.”

“What?” Bucky’s head snaps up. “What the fuck are you on Rhodes?”

“Tony’s alive, Bucky. I’ve been wanting to tell you since you returned, but you wouldn’t let me come. Which I understand. I’m a big reminder of Tones, but he is alive. Only Happy, Pepper, you, and I know. And he prefers we keep it that way until we find a way to out HYDRA.”

“Can I see him?”

“Only through a private video channel. He’s hidden in a secret location that only Pepper knows the whereabouts. I haven’t seen him in person since the accident. And we have to carry on with our lives like normal. Who knows who could be watching us.”

“I can do that. But Rhodey. I need to see my husband.” Tears are flowing freely down Bucky’s face. “Can I just talk to him?”

Rhodey produces a laptop. “Here, just log in. It’s a permanent video call to Tones.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Bucky logs into the laptop. “To-Tony?”

“Buckyboo!” Tony’s face appears on the screen. “I’ve missed you!”

“I love you!” Bucky is full-on sobbing by now. “But I want to kill you. Why the hell did you think what you were doing was a good idea?”

“I had to protect you, Bucky. And look, I’m alive and healthy. Things should be over soon, and then we’ll be able to hold each other again. Just give me a little while longer, and I’ll out HYDRA.”

“Take down SHIELD, too.” Bucky says.

Tony starts. “Are you sure? It’s your job…”

“That’ll be collateral damage. I don’t care. They clearly weren’t doing that good of a job if HYDRA was able to get in anyways.” Bucky says. “All I care about is getting you back into my arms asap.”

“Ok, well there is something I can do. I can release all the data from SHIELD onto the internet, barring, of course, all the agents’ names and personal lives. But there’s some pretty damning evidence that HYDRA is behind all this. Also, we’re going to need to take down the SHIELD HQ”  
  
  
“Consider that done, my love. They’ll never even think it was me.” Bucky says immediately. “You just make sure you can come home. I need you.”

++++++  
Bucky cries once again when Tony returns. No one blames him when he does not let Tony leave his touch for a day or two. “Never do that again.” He tells Tony. “I won’t be able to bear it.”


End file.
